Rodeo

For the second straight year the Merritt Rodeo Club along with the BC High School Rodeo Association will host the BC High School Rodeo Provincial Finals.
With the association in its first year split into two regions, North and South, the BC High School Rodeo Finals will double the number of competitors coming to compete in Merritt from the previous years. In the past, the 12 best competitors from the entire province competed and this year, the top 12 from each region have qualified to compete for the title of BC Champion and a shot at representing the province at the National Finals in Gillette, Wyoming in July and the Canadian Finals in Virden, Manitoba in August.
Northern competitors will be coming from as far away as Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Hudson's Hope and Fort St John. Southern competitors will pull into town from as far away asVancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and up to the Quesnel and Riske Creek areas. Top local cowboys and cowgirls to watch include Merritt competitors, Clint Maier, Morgan Fosbery, Amy Pozzobon, Joe Roberson, Madison Stoltzfuz, Ryley Kynoch and Jory Holmes.
The weekend will be full of action with three rodeo performances, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a Graduation and Season Leader Awards Banquet, North vs. South Volley Ball Games, Boys and Girls Cutting, the BC High School Rodeo Queen competition and to top it off, there are thousands of dollars in scholarships, trophy saddles and gold buckles at stake!

Hockey

The Merritt Centennials have had a busy spring, at least in the books.
Last week, the Merritt Centennials board of directors announced a three-year contract extension to head coach/general manager Luke Pierce.
"This signing is a significant step in achieving our goal of becoming a strong contender in the BCHL," said team president Jerry Canuel. "This provides our organization with the stability and long-term focus necessary for success."
The BCHL continues to provide excellence in education, this time through the Merritt Centennials.
In early May, the Centennials announced the commitment of 20-year-old defenceman Ryne Bodger to the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. Meanwhile, former Cents captain Jordan Soquila was committed to Queens University of the CIS in Kingston, Ontario.
Cents forward Lucas Daoust won't stray to far from Merritt next season. He will attend Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, where he will play hockey for the BCIHL’s WolfPack.
"I'm excited that Lucas will get the opportunity to continue his hockey career and play in front of family and friends while pursuing a quality education,” said Cents coach/GM Luke Pierce.